Without a doubt, Google makes some gorgeous Android phones and so expectations are high as the internet giant releases their second version of their branded smartphone, the ‘Nexus S.’ Officially going on sale Thursday in Best Buys nation-wide, the company hopes to avoid the fate of their last device, the hugely sexy ‘Nexus One’ that wowed Android fans with its design and specs, but failed to sell in sufficient volumes.

The new Nexus S certainly looks impressive. Running Android 2.3 (a.k.a. Gingerbread) makes this the first smartphone to run the Android OS’s latest iteration. Additionally, the device sports a 1 GHz Cortex A8 processor, 16GB of flash memory, front- and rear-facing cameras as well as a contoured and curved 4-inch Super AMOLED screen.

The Nexus S is also the first device to support Near Field Communication (NFC), which will allow apps to communicate with other NFC devices in close proximity. Many mobile analysts expect pay-by-phone apps to be built around this technology, which could allow consumers to pay for physical goods by simply touching their phone to a compatible payment device in stores.

Unlike the previous Nexus, the new model will be carried in Best Buy stores as well as Best Buy Mobile stores. Google certainly learned their lesson from the last time around, in that most smartphone consumers really need to feel and touch different models to determine what works best for them.

The Nexus One never appeared in retail stores, instead relying on online sales via a special Google web site or via T-Mobile, Google’s carrier of choice. Speaking of T-Mobile, the new model is not available via AT&T or Verizon, which is quite a disappointment but not entirely unexpected.

Interested in more details? Be sure to hit up the official Google Nexus S site here, and let us know in the comments section whether the new Nexus S might lure you away from your current smartphone.